1869-April-16
1869-April-16: President Grant appointed Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett as Minister Resident and Consul General to Haiti, making him the first African American …
HT-DRUS-1941-000360
1869-April-16: President Grant appointed Ebenezer Don Carlos Bassett as Minister Resident and Consul General to Haiti, making him the first African American to serve as a U.S. diplomatic envoy. Bassett, a highly educated educator from Philadelphia and Connecticut, represented a symbolic shift in American diplomacy. His appointment was a practical application of the recognition achieved in 1862 and served as a gesture of Republican commitment to the rights of black citizens, both domestically and internationally.
Source · HT-DRUS-1941-000360
Logan, 332 / Bates: HT-DRUS-1941-000360